Pastor Willie James Harmon and Linda Williams Harmon are the parents of two children: Christopher James Harmon and Bianca Nicole Harmon. Pastor Harmon was born on June 30, 1960. He founded Word of Life Assembly upon Matthew 4:4.. "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God."
The ministry of Word of Life Assembly is Word-centered. Whether in the preaching, in the music, or in the youth programs. God's written Word is our standard and the Lord Jesus Christ is our focus.
The first service was held in Pastor Harmon's garage, located at 7 Lenox Way in Warrenville, SC on February 24, 2002. There were fifteen people who attended service that day. Sunday church services and Wednesday night Bible Study continued in the Pastor's garage for three and a half months, until the Lord blessed us with a building. During this time we were chartered by the State of South Carolina and received exempt status from the U.S. Government as a non-profit religious organization.
In May of 2002, Pastor Harmon found a building to rent that was previously a fish restaurant. The building needed many repairs before the church could hold worship service in it.
Pastor Harmon and members of the church worked for a month repairing the building. Walls were built to separate the main Sanctuary from the Children's Church. New carpet was installed, and many more repairs were done. By God's grace, Word of Life Assembly relocated to 2051 Storm Branch Road on June 30, 2002. More importantly, on July 21, 2002, six people came to the altar to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. At the end of 2004, God blessed us to be able to purchase the building.
In June of 2004, Alphonso Richard and his family joined Word of Life Assembly. He joined in the vision of Pastor Harmon. Alphonso is married to Helen, and they have three beautiful children: Briana, Alphonso Jr., and William. By God's grace and mercy, the church continues to make progress and the membership has steadily increased.
By December of 2008, membership had reached one hundred and fifteen and we had many visitors that worshipped with us during the year. The increase in membership caused us to relocated to a bigger building located on 572 Pine Log road in July of 2008 to accommodate the people that God has so graciously allowed to come to WOLA. To God be the glory, for the things He has done!
Ministries
Many ministries were added to the church, such as Children's Church and Adult Sunday School, which began September 21, 2002. Pastor Harmon also initiated ministries to help the community. September 21, 2002 was "Operation Go-Fish" Day to let the community know that we were in the area and cared about them. During the Thanksgiving holiday, we had a "Day of Thanks", in which the women of the church made gift-baskets filled with "goodies" for senior citizens in need. This has become an annual event.
Our Tutorial Program began in October of 2003, in which students are provided with weekly academic assistance during the school year. Secret Sister, Men & Women's Fellowships, and Ladies Heart & Home-warming were started. Our PACE (Praying Always fasting Cutting back Exercising) program was started to encourage women to regain control over food. Along with the Pace program, exercise classes were made available to anyone. These ministries are designed to help develop true relationships among the members. We truly believe that "Fellowship helps build Relationship".
Our Youth Choir, Praise Team, and Praise Dancers enhance the Praise & Worship service at Word of Life Assembly. Psalm 149:3 says, "Let them praise His name in the dance; let them sing praises unto Him with the timbrel and harp."
The Spirit of our Lord and Savior has guided and directed Pastor Harmon since before that first day in February of 2002 until now. We accept the challenges and opportunities God has given us to minister to and meet the needs of His people. It is our desire and our prayer that He finds us faithful, obedient, and completely dedicated to His service. We invite you and welcome you into this great work for the advancement of the kingdom of God.